The Canadian high commission in Nigeria says it does not
accept refugee applications directly from people.
This clarification is coming after days of unverified widely
spread reports that Obianuju Catherine Udeh aka DJ Switch has been granted
asylum in Canada over a death threat allegation by the entertainer over her
involvement during the #EndSARS protest.
She had live-streamed the Lekki shooting via Instagram.
The high commission said in a Tweet on Wednesday that it can
only consider applications from individuals who must be referred by a
designated referral organisation or a private sponsor and warned against
rumours and false information online.
The speculations intensified on Monday when the DJ testified
before a committee of the Canadian parliament via video conference.
Although she did not claim to be in Canada, Twitter went
agog with rumours that she had been granted asylum.
Following the video, many people signed a petition asking
the Canadian parliament to refuse the DJ asylum, arguing that denying Switch
and her associates asylum in Canada would ensure they face the “terrorist
charges” pressed against them in Nigeria.
It is not immediately clear, however, if the Canadian high
commission made the statement to clarify that it had not offered DJ Switch asylum
in Canada.
It appears there is a flood of applications and enquiries
after the DJ Switch rumours.
“In light of recent events, we have received great interest
in Canadian immigration programs,” the statement read.
“Canadian Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates,
Consulates General or Honorary Consulates do not accept refugee applications
directly from people. Canada works with the United Nations Refugee Agency
(UNHCR), other designated referral organizations and private sponsors to
identify individuals in need of resettlement, and who are outside their home
country.
“You cannot apply
directly for resettlement. You must be referred to Canada by a designated
referral organization or a private sponsor. Don’t be fooled by rumours or false
information online. No one can guarantee that your immigration application will
be fast-tracked or approved. Only a Canadian migration officer can decide if
you can come to Canada.
“All the information you need to apply to visit or immigrate
to Canada is available free on the official Government of Canada website: http://cic.gc.ca. For information about other
immigration programs you might be eligible for, use the Come to Canada tool: http://Canada.ca/come-to-canada.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com